Thomas Lee J.P. Morgan

Stepping up one notch to third place is J.P. Morgan’s Thomas Lee. “Those who listen to him make a lot of money for their clients,” asserts one portfolio manager. In December, Lee overweighted industrials in his model portfolio, based on pent-up demand for big-ticket items, but warned that a correction was likely to come in April, because of valuations. Bull’s-eye! The sector surged 19.7 percent between December and its 2010 high in April, and by late August had tumbled 16.2 percent. “Tom’s calls are accurate and different from consensus,” applauds one backer.